Perry urges water release

Published: Tuesday, February 27, 2001

WASHINGTON {AP} Texas Gov. Rick Perry pressed Mexico's ambassador to the United States to help obtain the immediate release of nearly 400 thousand acre-feet of water owed Texas under a treaty agreement.

"I would put it in a crisis situation for those agricultural producers," Perry said after his meeting with Mexican Ambassador Juan Jose Bremer. "We can't sit here and study this and talk about it. This is not one for deep and long negotiations. This is a decision that Mexico needs to make now."

Perry is attending the National Governors Association meeting, which continues through today.

An acre foot of water is 325,581 gallons.

Under a 1944 treaty, Mexico agreed to release at least 350,0000 acre-feet of water into the Rio Grande per year every five years from six Mexican tributaries.

Mexican water flow to the Rio Grande, however, stopped in 1992 because of drought and development related to the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Mexico's water debt, retroactive to 1992, is 1.4 million acre feet. The treaty allows a five-year period to pay back owed water.

The International Water and Boundary Commission is pushing Mexico to guarantee delivery of 605,000 acre feet of water by July 28, a date that would ensure the water is available for irrigation farmers, said Sally Spener, commission spokeswoman.

"If we don't get this release then we're going to have irreparable damage done to ag producers in the Valley, which is not just going to hurt them, it's going to hurt the relationship with Mexico in the future," Perry said.